Modern English to headline Colchester Free Festival (From Gazette)
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Modern English to headline Colchester Free Festival
11:30am Friday 29th July 2011 in Leisure By Neil D'Arcy-Jones
Headliner - Modern English's Robbie Grey
THE main stage line-up for this year’s Colchester Free Festival has finally been revealed.
As official media partner for next month’s big event, the Gazette is being given exclusive news of the bands to play in Castle Park on August 27.
In what is something of a coup for organisers in what is only the Free Festival’s second year, they are delighted to announce the festival will be headlined by Colchester Eighties new wave band, Modern English.
The band formed in the town in the late Seventies and went on to enjoy some success with songs including I Melt With You, which charted in the USA.
Last month, the band performed a homecoming gig at Colchester Arts Centre and were so taken with the response, they have agreed to headline the festival.
Ben Howard, one of the organisers says: “They were told about the festival at the arts centre gig and said they would be happy to play.”
The rest of the festival line-up reads a bit like a Who’s Who? of today’s Colchester live music scene and includes Cav Ok, Ady Johnson and Lady Bird and the Larks, plus appearances by Animal Noise, Kuru Smile, Housework, We Are Embassy and Station.
This year, the festival will have three stages, with the Castle stage and Hollytrees stage added. Details of the bands to play on these stages will be revealed in Soundcheck over the next couple of weeks.
The festival will also have a kids area, Kidstival, an arts arena and a DJ line-up on the park bandstand.
Ben adds: “I know the festival is only in its second year, but already it has become an aspirational event for local acts to play. We had bands apply for last year’s festival who didn’t make the line-up.
“But they have worked hard on the local scene and reaped the rewards.
“If that’s the kind of legacy we are leaving, then it can only be good for the Colchester live music scene.”
Colchester Free Festival will run from 11am until 7pm.
